ROME, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Talks on releasing the five Italian hostages held in Yemen looked set to drag on, Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said here Thursday.

    "The negotiations are long and complex," Fini said.

    The foreign minister said that the hostages were "unfortunately" taken after the Yemeni government announced a new zero-tolerance policy to halt a plague of kidnappings.

    Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said there were "no developments" in the case.

    On Wednesday, the Yemeni government ruled out the use of force but troops have reportedly been moving closer to the location where the hostages are believed to be.

    The three women and two men were abducted on New Year's Day in the northern Marib province as they visited archaeological sites in Serwah, some 120 miles east of the capital Sanaa.

    The kidnappers have threatened to kill the hostages if they come under attack.

    Relatives of the hostages have issued repeated appeals to the country's tribal leaders.

    Several hundred Yemeni people took to the streets in Sanaa on Wednesday to protest against the kidnapping of the Italians and to call for their release. Enditem¡¡